Rex Ryan hopes Doug Marrone (and the rest of the Jaguars) has a 'miserable day' Sunday

Share this article

Doug Marrone's long-awaited return to Orchard Park will take place Sunday.

He might want to pack ear plugs.

Buffalo Bills fans will likely give the team's former coach the business at every possible opportunity when he takes the field with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's hard to blame them – it's not every day someone willingly walks away from a head-coaching job.

Marrone's replacement, Rex Ryan, was asked what type of reception his predecessor should expect to receive Sunday.

"You know, I don’t know," Ryan said. "I know the team played hard when Doug was the head coach here. How things worked out, I don’t know. Doug’s not this team’s coach anymore. I am. I’m blessed to be the coach here.

"I hope it’s a miserable experience — for everybody. We want to win, man. Our fans, this is as loyal a fan base as there is, so we want to create that miserable day for people, and the fans are a big part of it."

When Ryan took over he said at his introductory press conference, "we’re going to be as loyal to our fans as they are to us."

Asked Wednesday if he could imagine willingly walk away in the manner Marrone did, Ryan made it clear he didn't "know all the particulars of things," but that he couldn't foresee such a scenario.

" I really know the fan base," he said. "I spent eight years in Toronto when my dad was coaching. With the Jets, I was very familiar with the fan base here and the loyalty and just the spirit of this fan base. That was one of the big reasons that attracted me to this job. Let alone Kim and Terry Pegula, I thought that’s why I wanted this job.

"You know, they’re going to take me kicking and screaming out of this place. And one day that’ll happen, but then I’ll be doing it that way. I ain’t worried about that, because it ain’t going to happen for a long time."